Project Bespin
In the alternate Hellcat Squadran Inferno Regime universe, Project Bespin was a secret Regime research project to develop heavy armed stormers based upon Shivan, UIMS and Battura technology. Authorized by Hester Shaw and Malcolm Betruger and under the leadership of Director Hillary Massar, the program was based at K2-72e. The project was disrupted and ended by the efforts of the Coalition, United Galaxy Space Force, Army of Light and the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance before it could reach fruition. Massar met a bloody demise at the hands of Hellcat Squadran member Shannon Swann who used her Chronon abilities to time-blast him to death. History Shortly after the death of Elexis Sinclaire, Tom and Hester were responsible for several top secret projects to develop advanced starfighter technology for the latter's Regime. However, while the Kvasir and Gefjon development programs were intended to produce fighters suitable for the Regime's most elite pilots, Project Bespin was initiated in order to develop heavy armed stormers similar to the UGSF Dragoon line of craft that would allow the Regime to conduct long-range strikes on their targets Hester deemed to be big people she was standing up to. Shortly after the Defense of Earth, the project had reached the stage where experimental stormers were capable of being flown by all pilots and gunners. These stormers would require a capital ship fitted for this project would try to remain outside the combat field of engagement, while gathering data neccessary to fine tune. In order to gather combat data for the later stages of Project Bespin, Massar was permitting her prototype stormers to prey upon Vasudan targets in Deneb. While this data was crucial to the continuation of the project, the skirmishes also served Hester's purposes in several other ways. Firstly, her anti-Vasudan rhetoric would allow Hester to divide the GTVA into two races. Secondly, her alliance with the Shivans and the Unknown Intellectual Mechanized Species allowed Hester to intensify her galactic ambitions. Finally, the attacks acted as a lure to draw out GTVA, UGSF, Coalition and Army of Light forces in the region. Investigation by the Fearless The GTVA and UGSF became aware of Project Bespin after receiving numerous reports of strange craft conducting raids on Vasudan ships in the Deneb System. The alarming reports mentioned entire convoys and escorts disappearing after unknown spacecraft set upon the freighters. The attacks were so swift that, when GTVA fighters responded, by the time they arrived at the scene the only remains were burning debris. Because of this, GTVA High Command directed the ''Icelus''-class ''Fearless'', under the command of Admiral Jack Campbell, to investigate. The first strong intelligence was gleaned when the Dragoon IIS Hera Hilmar, under the command of Lieutenant Jack Joyce, intercepted a distress call from nearby, and the Dragoon and two GTF Mihos under Alpha wing (one of which was piloted by Brigid Swann) were dispatched to check it out. They arrived in the middle of a battle, where stormers looking like "some weird new Shivan design based on the UGSF Dragoon line of craft" were ravaging a convoy and escorts. After moving to intercept the raiders, the pilots speculated that these new stormers might be a "secret weapon of Hester and her Regime." The pilots also noted the presence of a capital ship far outside the battle zone, however these craft escaped when approached. Once the raiders were all destroyed or driven off, the Dragoon and the Mihoses returned to their rendezvous with the Fearless. There, technicians immediately began analyzing their flight recorders for useful data, and discovered that the enemy craft had "exceptional speed and maneuverability", as well as an unusually potent beam weapon. Because of its peculiar design, this fighter was dubbed the Bespin Beam Prototype. Having completed their analysis of the flight log data gathered from the Hera Hilmar and the Mihoses, the Fearless technicians decided that further research demanded that actual examples of these prototype craft needed to be captured. To this end, a scheme was concocted whereby the Alliance would stage a mock-convoy of cargo craft designed to entice whoever controlled these raiders into attacking. A convoy of computer controlled freighters that had been programmed to avoid Regime customs checkpoints, while transmitting fake transponder data. It was hoped that they would be a suitable lure to ensnare the Regime prototypes. Escorting the convoy would be GTVA fighters equipped with subsystem disrupters. However, secrecy was the key to this mission, and it was deemed necessary to conceal Alliance involvement. To this end, a flight of 6 GTF Perseuses, led by the Hera Hilmar, were dispatched to fulfill this mission. The lure worked decisively, and soon two squadrons of the experimental stormers attacked the convoy, in addition to two mysterious capital ship lurking in the background. Surprised by the skill of the Rebel pilots in even a low-performance craft such as the Perseus, an escort transport and one of each type of experimental stormers were swiftly disabled. Not only did the pilots manage to capture the enemy craft, but they were also able to save the majority of the freighters, as well as destroying all the remaining attacking craft before the Hygeias came to retrieve the disabled prototypes. The experimental stormers captured on this mission came in two varieties. The first was clearly a variant on the basic Dragoon R Delta Plus, but with additional twin wing-mounted missile launchers. Its configuration matched that of an attack force that "came as a deadly surprise to a GeoSword group patrolling too close to a Regime base". Because of its distinguishing features, it was designated the Bespin Missile. The second craft was a variant on the Dragoon J2, modified by the addition of two beam turrets outside the wings. Again, its design matched that of raiders encountered by GTVA forces: an GTF Ereshkigal squadron had been "severely crippled by this new Bespin stormer". Because of its turrets, it became known as the Bespin Gunship. Lastly, the captured capital ships were revealed to be carrying officers gathering data for the experimental stormers. The next encounter with Project Bespin happened as a result of a lucky intelligence finding. GTVI agents discovered a Regime cargo installation in orbit around LHS 1140 b in the LHS 1140 System. The intelligence revealed that the Regime station was involved as a production center for the clandestine project. The GTVA, Coalition, Army of Light and UGSF decided to send in Hellcat Squadran aboard the transport to "infiltrate the installation, steal all pertinent data, and then destroy the facility". Although successful in the mission to eliminate the station, the returning strike team was somehow followed back to the Fearless, whereupon a large-scale assault on the GTVA destroyer was mounted by many experimental Bespin stormers. However, due to the immense bravery and skill of the pilots of the GTVA fighters and the Hera Hilmar, the attack was thwarted, although the destroyer suffered heavy damage. Two new types of experimental Bespin stormers were encountered during this ambush. The first was simply a combination of the three prototypes. Therefore was almost inevitable that the Rebels named it the Bespin Combined. The second of the prototypes was basically the previous one, yet an incredibly swift stormer with an entirely different design, described by Brigid as looking "like the Regime made a Shivan Seraphim bomber on steroids." The description stuck, and the stormer gained the moniker Bespin Combined Booster. After the ambush was defeated, technicians aboard the Fearless decoded the data from the production facility. They determined that the Regime were conducting research into revolutionary stormer designs in a project headed by Hillary Massar. They discovered that Massar was gathering statistics on all aspects in order to build a new generation of stormers many times more lethal and agile than the UGSF Dragoons and the Shivan Nahema and Seraphim bombers. The notion of heavy armed stormers with bomber capabilities produced fears that they might "pose a serious threat to the survival of the GTVA, UGSF, Army of Light and Coalition." Due to the high priority placed on eradication of this enormous threat, recon flights were dispatched all over nearby systems in order to locate the source of these fighters. It was not long before this strategy achieved results and the main research base was found. The base was identified to be on the planet K2-72e and an all-out assault was put into action. GTF Perseus ADvs, GTF Ereshkigals, and GTB Sthenos launched from the Fearless and arrived into the combat area along with the Hera Hilmar to engage the base. A surprise awaited them. The final prototype, the Bespin Final Prototype was landed at the station. Scans of the Bespin prototype revealed it to be the next and final stage in Project Bespin. This vessel had the capability to operate at longer distances than the prototypes. However, the Regime had been caught unawares, as there were flaws in the prototype. Responding to the rebel attack, pilots scrambled to the prototype Bespin stormers into action. Prior to the attack, Hellcat Squadran infiltrated the base. Their objective was to disable the defenses and allow the GTVA, Coalition, UGSF and Army of Light forces to strike. They were able to disable the defenses, but not before encountering many of the prototype Bespin stormers. The ensuing concerted attack and superior tactics exhibited by the GTVA, UGSF, Coalition and Army of Light gave them the edge in the battle, and not even the intervention of several Regime Gefjon elite fighters, led by Rebecca Fox, who unintentionally damaged the final Bespin prototype before escaping the battle, was able to save the base or the final Bespin prototype. Both were destroyed, and the project leader, who survived the crash of her prototype, was killed by a Chronon time blast from Shannon Swann, and the GTVA forces returned to the Fearless jubilant that they had defeated a potent enemy. The victory was short-lived, however, as the GTVA suffered heavy losses during the next few battles, which led to Brigid making contact with the Kilrathi and undergoing her trials to become a Kilrathi warrior. Unbeknown to the GTVA, UGSF, Coalition and Army of Light, Hester arrived at the ruins with the SD Kismat, and was able to retrieve plentiful data from the systems inside the base that had survived its destruction remarkably well. Hester's words at the time that this project was important to her, and had it proceeded much further would have made her cosmic ambitions that much more likely to be realized. Category:Projects Category:Inferno Regime-Verse